Australian Electric Superbikes Series One DVD only $9.99 + shipping

You can now order the Series One DVD of Australian Electric Superbikes. This award nominated TV series is dedicated to demonstrating the viability of electric motorcycle racing and is a must see for all electric vehicle enthusiasts. Delivery world wide.

Australian Electric Superbikes gets some coverage in two of Australia's most popular magazines.

Silicon Chip Magazine and CycleTorque MagazineElectric motorcycle racing appeals to a wide variety of audiences. Silicon Chip caters to the electrionics enthusiasts while CycleTorque is for the pure Motorcycle fanatics.

Grab yourself a copy today and read about why Electric Motorcycle racing is heating up down under.

2014 is set to be watershed year for electric motorcycle racing in Australia. The teams have finally figured out the ideal configurations for the bikes and development has reached the point where reliability woes have been replaced by steady increases in performance. In 2013, these electric machines were consistently competing at over 200kmh however with the new electric hardware coming online we should see consistent racing speeds exceed the 250kmh barrier. A testament to the efforts of these electrical pioneers.

Three years on from their inaugural race, novelty has given way to the competitive spirit of motorcycle racing in the electric class.

Fuelled by sheer determination, zealous optimism and zero carbon, these pioneering teams have beaten all the odds to bring electricmotorcycle racing to the main stream. It’s an exciting place to be.

The fourth season of Electric Racing will see the field increase to a potential seven machines on the starting grid. In addition to the Ripperton, Varley and Catavolt offerings, we will see the return of Voltron, and brand new offerings from both Solar Power Australia and a new Sydney based team.

Ripperton - Power vs Reliability

But is it power alone that wins in electric racing? Danny Ripperton, the 2013 electric champion, has proven time and again that his electric R1 has the reliability, stamina and cornering speed to win championships.

“We’re probably the first race team to win a title with the mechanic riding the bike, but for 2014 we have finally levelled the playing field by getting a rider”.

The Ripperton Quad-Stack motor has been ultra-reliable, handling an entire racing season without fault. A liquid cooled 90kW Ripperton powerhouse coupled with 7kWh of hot swap Lithium may not be the most powerful package on the grid. Competing against the more powerful Varley Electric CBR600RR in 2013, Ripperton still won the championship. Testament to the fine-tuning skills of Danny’s engineering talents.

For 2014, Danny Ripperton will step down from riding to concentrate on the engineering function. “I’m just too heavy to be competitive. I have brought the bike as far as my racing skills will allow, and now it’s time to play mechanic to a faster, and lighter, rider.” The contemplative pragmatist Danny Ripperton announced recently.

Nothing is sacred in Danny Ripperton’s quest for weight reduction and efficiency. With at least 40kg removed from the rider/bike package, the equivalent of 16 house bricks, the Ripperton machine promises to be a tough contender for 2014.

Varley - An Old Master

Now with one season under their belt, Varley are determined to secure a place in electric racing history. An old master in the electric vehicle space, Varley have a strong agenda for the demonstration of their technology. With products ranging from high power Ultramotive motors to Tritium power electronics and chargers, the stakes are high for Varley.

Varley will be running two machines for 2014. The familiar modified CBR600RR and a new Ducati based machine. Both bikes will be based upon the 80kW Ultramotive Carbon electric motor and Tritium WS200 controller package. While both machines will feature 448 V DC, they will be using different battery chemistries. The 2013 bike will use Lithium Polymer while the 2014 bike will use A123 LiFePo. It’s likely that Varley are taking advantage of the high stress racing environment to test variations of Lithium cells.

In 2013 success came late for Varley. Having overcome many technical obstacles, Jason Morris managed to secure two race wins in the final round at Eastern Creek. With Jason now firmly embedded into the team, it will be exciting to see whether Varley can continue on their winning streak.

Evolution of the Breed

Forgoing the compromise of using an existing ICE chassis to house electrical components Voltron EVO is a ground up build. Determined to make his mark on the electric racing circuit, Chris Jones set about designing a completely custom frame; capable of accommodating the large EVO Electric motor and 9.2 kWh battery pack. By recessing the motor mounting inside the swingarm, the wheelbase was maintained to racing specs.

To build the frame, Chris called in the services of Randy Illg from Framecrafters in Union, Illinois. After numerous long distance communications, the frame arrived within millimetre-perfect dimensions. True testament to the skill of Randy and the Framecrafters operation.

In addition to the light weight chromoly frame, a unique suspension linkage allows for multiple adjustments. Just the ticket for trackside tuning. The final weight of the bike will be on par with showroom litre sports bikes.

The innovative 620 volt battery pack of the Voltron EVO is housed in a clear polycarbonate case designed to both insulate the pack and provide visual feedback to the pit crew. The engineering is so precise that even the numerology has been considered - 168 cells in series, each ‘cell’ consisting of three 5 Ah pouches in parallel giving a total of 4 X 42 cells. Effectively the battery can be split into four sub-packs when powered down, limiting the potential to 175 V. This reduces the risk when servicing the pack and as an added safety mechanism, no power can be accessed unless a 12 V signal is sent to the pack.

At 85 kg, the sealed battery pack must be removed with a hoist, but servicing is easy with a one-piece pack.

Danger! High Voltage

So why the high voltage? “It all comes down to matching the capabilities of the motor and inverter. The motors base speed of 4000 rpm is achieved with a DC bus of 600 V. The last 1000 rpm must be achieved by engaging field weakening, which is akin to advancing the timing of the motor. By defeating some of the motor back EMF, the rotor is capable of spinning faster, albeit at the expense of torque. It is only by supplying at least 400 V rms to the motor, that it can reach the rated peaks >150 kW. This calls for an inverter capable of supplying some serious potential, and the Rinehart Motion Systems PM150DZ inverter is up to the task.” Chris explained.

“Additionally, the eFXC rules state that the voltage of an electric superbike must not exceed 700 V anywhere in the system, at any time. Hot off the battery charger, this pack is sporting all 700 big ones with nothing to spare. Future incarnations of the bike will eventually run half as many volts, but for 2014, Voltron Evo is a high voltage speed machine.”

The Voltron EVO Electric Superbike uses a modular, multi-chemistry battery monitoring system from West Australian supplier EV-Power. Elegantly simple and compact, the four BMS modules can monitor 12 cells each. A conductive loop allows a low powered relay to be held closed when things are behaving, but should a cell exceed 4.2 volts, or be over discharged past 2.8 V, the loop will go open circuit, closing the relay and sounding a warning. Rather than throttle off or worse, cut the power completely, the rider may simply heed the warning and nurse the bike back to the pits.

Catavolt - Return of a Champion

Recovering from the technical mishaps of 2013, Catavolt are back. The new machine swaps the familiar Daelim road going production hardware for a custom Yamaha R6 racing chassis. With a long heritage in electric racing that spans a land speed record and a notable appearance at Daytona International Raceway, Catavolt are a determined force in Australian Electric Superbike racing. The new electric R6 machine will have an astronomical 900mn of torque. To put this into perspective, that’s over four times the torque of a Suzuki Hayabusa and more torque than a Mclaren F1 supercar.

To meet these figures the new Catavolt machine has swapped the enerTrack hub motor for an onboard power plant. The return to a familiar drivetrain is the key to providing a significant power increase. Coupled with the impressive 100kW motor, a 12kWh Lithium-ion battery pack will ensure that Catavolt can reach it’s full potential.

While team Catavolt have yet to reveal a rider for 2014, there are many superbike riders just waiting for the opportunity to ride in the electric series. It’s not a matter or whether they can find a rider, it’s more about finding the best rider for the package.

Fresh Metal

In addition to an already exciting electric grid, two newcomers are set to make an entrance. Solar Power Australia are likely to enter a production Brammo machine and a new Sydney based team owned by Mark Arnold of Miark Innovations will have a 100kW Yamaha R6 based machine. Will these new machines be competitive? Only time will tell.

2014 is set to be watershed year for electric motorcycle racing in Australia. The teams have finally figured out the ideal configurations for the bikes and development has reached the point where reliability woes have been replaced by steady increases in performance. In 2013, these electric machines were consistently competing at over 200kmh however with the new electric hardware coming online we should see consistent racing speeds exceed the 250kmh barrier. A testament to the efforts of these electrical pioneers.

You can now watch all of the electric racing on TVS. Series One of Australian Electric Superbikes will be broadcast from Monday 26th May at 8:00pm, with repeats on Saturdays at 3:30pm and Sundays at 11:00am

Australian Electric Superbikes

Forget everything you know about electric vehicles and take a ride with Victor Fenech on his journey to understand Electric Superbike Racing. This four-part TV series offer's you a glimpse at a racing future where every second counts. A future where there are no predefined rules and no off-the-shelf solutions.

Built by independent privateers on a fledgling budget in workshops across the country, these electric machines are competing at 600cc racing speeds. This amazing accomplishment is backed by the passion and dedication of a small but growing number of electrical engineers whose challenge is to build the ultimate, electric racer.

Watch as Victor follows the teams in an effort to understand the technology that is breaking taboos and lap times on circuits across the world. A technology that challenges the status quo and provides the undeniable evidence that electric racing is not only for the future. It's happening right here, right now.

Hunter Valley EV Prize and EV Show DVD

Get the exclusive full version of the Hunter Valley EV Prize 2012 on this amazing DVD package. Featuring over twenty schools from the Hunter Valley region. Watch as the teams compete with their custom made electric vehicles at Cameron Park Raceway in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Also included is a slideshow of highlights from this amazing event.

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eFXC | TTXGP 2012 Season DVD

Watch all the action from the 2012 Australian electric motorcycle racing season. The winner of this series went on to compete the World finals of the TTXGP at Daytona International Speedway.

Also including the infamous smacktalk videos from Danny Ripperton, Jason Morris and SplinterOz.

Daytona. The electric journey continues…

Back and forth goes the playhead. Zip, zap. From awesome bikes to smiling faces it skips. Blue skies. Black tarmac. From Hollywood skyline to epic racetrack. I am haunted by memories of airports and hire cars as I wade through the hours of video, filmed on a journey that spanned the globe. As frames of CATAVOLT and Brammo spin by I sit and ponder. What just occurred over two weeks and fifteen thousand kilometres ago? The TTXGP World Championship I hear you say, as you jolt me out of my pondering. Well yes. It was the TTXGP, the amazing electric motorcycle World Championship at Daytona International Speedway. The place where the creme de la creme of electric motorcycle teams came together to compete in a race of electrical supremacy. Hold that thought…

Tech that spans one hundred years

It's difficult not to feel inspired at Daytona. For one, the place is massive. Epic beyond expectations. A holy grail, if you will, of racing. A place where the fastest NASCAR racers entertain the masses. One hundred and sixty seven thousand people if you will. You get the picture. Huge! On the weekend the TTXGP bikes were shacked up with the AHRMA crew. Ironically this is the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association.

So the pits were a crazy, oxymoronic blend of historic loud pipes and futuristic humming electric drive trains. A juxtaposition that spanned almost one hundred years of motorcycle tech, ignoring, oh, the past ten or so of ICE 'development'. For your superbike fix you could get along to the AMA pits for a quick drool over the plentiful R1's and S 1000 RR's lining the paddocks.

This ain't racin'

Of the five bikes that entered the TTXGP, the only open class competition for the Brammo boys was the awesome Muench rocket piloted by none other than the legendary, Matthias Himmelmann. Even with an eager German on their tail, Bos and Atlas had it wrapped up with top speed. At Daytona, speed is king. So with little competition on the track, why the legendary Daytona circuit? Why the driving across the States? Why the plane from Germany or the veritable convoy from Australia? If it's not racing then what the hell is it?

So what is it?

Pausing the playhead, I can't help but reflect upon the atmosphere at the TTXGP. The curiosity in the pits. The EV grin of the would-be passers by who scored a ride on the awesome Enertrac Electric Motorcycle between charges. The camaraderie preceded on social networks, reflected now in tangible conversations of ingenuity and tech savvy discourse. A microcosm of a global industry just waiting to take hold.

It might be a little early to claim the TTXGP Daytona World Championship 2012 as the ultimate catalyst for electric motorcycle development. I might however, go so far as to say that for many it was the harbinger of some great news. The news that electric motorcycles can hold their own with both the fast and the furious at the greatest racing circuits on the globe. That there is a bunch of very clever and passionate individuals working extremely hard to ensure that motorcyclists will still be riding fast and free when gas eventually hits the wall.

Nobody knows.

In four short years it's still too early to predict the potential for electric drive. How could we? We still can't even explain what electricity is yet. We've only been playing with the 'stuff' for four hundred years. One thing is for certain. I have yet to meet a motorcyclist who has not been impressed by electric drive. It's awesome! Don't believe me? Get on down to your Catavolt, Zero, Brammo or Enertrac dealer and jump onboard to really feel what it's like to ride the lightning.

A day at the races…

Well practice actually! With day one of the TTXGP Finals at Daytona it was all action as the Catavolt, Brammo and Munch teams got their first taste of electric motorcycle racing at Daytona International Speedway. The track is so big that Catavolt rider Jason Morris said '…our Wakefield Park Raceway in Australia would fit onto the front carpark of this place". Daytona place is massive! The entire track is awe inspiring.

Both Brammo and Munch saw top speeds in excess of 150mph on the banked track while Catavolt, using only a 6kW battery pack in the TTX75 series, reached an impressive top speed of 110mph over four laps of the track.

Interviews from the TTXGPfan

There was a great atmosphere in the pits today and the interest from the spectators was engaging. Richard Dort, aka TTXGPfan, was kept busy in the pit area interviewing all of the teams. Stay tuned to eSBK.co for the most current and up to date content direct from the track. I have a feeling that some video content will be coming your way shortly…

Electric motorcycles on the grid for the final round of the eFXC | TTXGP 2012

It was a freezing cold weekend for the finals of the eFXC | TTXGP in Australia. What's that I hear you say? Australia. Cold? Well the mercury dived to -6 degrees C at Goulburn on the weekend and the teams had to shelter from 'snow' on more than one occasion during the event. Yes, it does snow in Australia.

For the finals there were still only two bikes on the grid however Tony Castley, AKA @SplinerOz brought along his awesome electric RG250 gamma which created a stir in the pits. There were lots of test rides and needless to say the EV Grin was infecting even the most hardened of skeptics. Not one person came back disappointed. We could not resist fiming another smack talk video to show off his bike building skills. Watch SplinterOz smack talkin' now!

Electric motorcycle racing from another point of view

Long-term electric vehicle aficionado Al Bunzel from www.electriccarconversionblog.com grabbed a mic and headed for the pits where he got some interesting views from the gassers. Al was as enthusiastic as ever and his questioning techniques revealed a somewhat positive view of both the Ripperton and Catavolt motorcycles from the punters. Testament that Jon Eggenhuizen and Danny Ripperton's efforts are affecting more than just lap records at the Australian Circuits. To watch Al's interviews in full you will have to wait until the DVD of the series is released. Teaser coming soon. Stay tuned…

Catavolt competing in the TTXGP Finals at Daytona on October 19th

Forget the rumours, The CATAVOLT team is officially traveling to the TTXGP world finals at Daytona International Speedway on October 19th to compete in the TTX75 class. Team leader Jon Eggenhuizen has been working tirelessly since winning the Australian round of the eFXC | TTXGP at Wakefield Park Raceway in August 2012 to secure the necessary sponsorship funding. The team members who will be traveling to Daytona from Australia will be:

This amazing opportunity would not have been possible without the fantastic support from our sponsors.

Sponsorship and support

The CATAVOLT team have been lucky enough to secure the funding necessary to make the 15,000km trip to Daytona for the Final round of the TTXGP. Needless to say that there is a lot of excitement from the TTXGP officials as well as the long time supporters of the CATAVOLT team in Australia and abroad. The University of Newcaslte has been an outstanding promoter of the team in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales. Dr Gary Ellem has been championing the sponsorship drive in the region to great affect. The CATAVOLT team would like to thank our sponsors as follows: